Truss



(No Model.) W. M. GREENLEE.

TRUSS.

No. 451,817. Patented May 5,1891.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 1 If: af? qbg #7 m: Nonms PEYERS cm, vuuromma,wAsmmt-mu, u c.

' Nrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM M. GREENLEE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRUSS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,817, dated May 5,1891.

Application filed March 17, 1891. Serial 110.385.373. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. GREENLEE, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Trusses, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of my invention is to provide acomfortableeffectivetrussforhernia, by which the defects of priortrusses are overcome.

Itis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 showsthe truss applied to the human form. Fig. 2 shows the truss in verticalsection and on a larger scale.

Myimproved truss comprises a belt a, which is worn around the abdomen ofthe ruptured person and is attached to a plate b, carrying pads 19,which, with the plate, may be made of hard rubber or any other suitablematerial. There are also straps c, which are attached to the rear of thebelt, and are provided with pads d and with loops, books, or otherattachments by which their ends may be secured to the front of the belt.Said pads are flexible, as hereinafter explained, and are. tapering inform, decreasing in thickness downwardly, being thick at aplaceimmediately below the lower edge of the plate 1), so that they maysupplement the action of the hard pads 17. The rear attachment of thestraps c to the beltis preferably by means of buckles e, which enablethe lengthof the straps to be adjusted.

hen the truss is worn, the belt a is placed around the abdomen andsecured to the trussplate I). The straps are brought between the legsfrom the place of attachment at the middle of the rear of the belt, andare attached to the trussplate in front of the belt, and when thusadjusted the pads d fit at the sides of the privates, extending back ofthe same, and as the straps c extend to the middle of the back the padsare caused to press inwardly and upwardly at the sides of the scrotum,and thus retain the rupture in place. Where there is but a singlerupture, only one of these pads may be used. It will be found that thetruss, when constructed andworn in this manner, is of the greatestcomfort and efliciency, so much so that the ruptured person may withoutdanger perform his ordinary work, even if it be of arduous nature. Thepadsd are preferably made of stuffed leather pouches, ince these aresoft and do not chafe or inconvenience the wearer.

I claim- In a truss, the combination of a plate I), having hard pads 12,an abdomen-encircling belt attached to the plate, and flexible stuffedpads d 01, attached to the plate and decreasing in thickness downwardly,said pads being adapted to extend to the rear of the scrotum on bothsides thereof and having straps extending to the back of the belt at themiddle part thereof, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March,A. D. 1891.

WILLIAM M. GREENLEE. Witnesses:

H. M. OORWIN, W. B. CoRwIN.

